northernmist

Northernmist, this is getting us away from an important topic as it applies to CM. Let's not digress into a general immigration discussion which some moderator will rightly say belongs in a different forum.

Re marriage...It is 'grandfathered'. If you came here when the requirement was 200 000 per year, that's what it still is. If you came here on the 400 000 requirement, that's what you'll always be required to show.

I wouldn't bank on it.

I've got Thai legal friends who have been abroad to study at some of the world's best Universities and I've already asked them about it. Laws can't be made retrospectively.

Re this whole debate, yes immigration laws should be tough for people 'on their own' who have come here 'by choice' and made the decision to live here aged 50 + as retirees. They knew the rules. I am not saying whether those rules are right or wrong, but they were made clear.

The rules for younger people who have married a local and are living here to be with her / her family / her career is here / have children here etc are just insanely wrong. Nowhere else in the world do you remain for your entire life without rights, cannot do any work outside of a few professions, need to show money annually to remain with your own children, etc etc............that stuff is shameful for this country. I know a young german guy here who is married to an undecuated girl who speaks litte german. (Her english is good, as is his) They have a baby and they absolutely love each other. He can't teach here as his english is not good enough for that type of job. They don't have 400 000 baht to show. So, it's impossible for him to stay here. He goes home for 80% of the year and his son grows up not having a father figure around for 80% of the year. He loves his child and he has tried to move mountains to look after his wife. They are young, don't have a lot of money and he can't teach here. So, they are seperated for 80% of the year. IMO that is just completely wrong. Those are rules that people didn't 'sign up for', but rather ones that people find themselves stuck in due to who they love / having had a child.

CM is a great place for expats who are fully funded to come and live.

It has never been a great place for foreigners so poor that they have to work illegally for payments under the table from unscrupulous employers.

I think you make a couple of good points.

Regarding the first point, I think it will not be long before the Thai government starts to cash in on the thousands of ex pats that have come to make their home here either by marriage or retirement. For me, it would be no great surprise to see the finance requirements for both marriage and retirement increase. I can envisage the amount required in the bank for marriage doubling and the retirement figure up to around 1.2 million.

Don't think it can't happen, whoever thought years ago that it would ever be 800,000 and how many farang's can actually sell up and move away, in practice? In a nutshell they have us by the balls.

Re marriage...It is 'grandfathered'. If you came here when the requirement was 200 000 per year, that's what it still is. If you came here on the 400 000 requirement, that's what you'll always be required to show.

Yes, it will go up again soonish to 800 000. That's when it will just become silly. People would be better spending their money here than constantly trying to have to find that type of money every 12 months. It is not feasible for young couples. I have a lot of friends who met as Uni students. Guess what? They don't have money...same as most recent graduates wordwide. The marriage requirements are impossible for them. So.......they go and live abroad. Their extremely well qualified Thai spouse goes with them, where things are much easier. Thailand loses qualified people and they likely won't come back.

I have been to most places and have yet to find any original games. Like you, I use LIVE online so I need originals. I just buy them from Play Asia.

http://www.play-asia.com/

They are reliable and fast (game gets here within 48 hours if you order via express post etc). Pretty easy.

Only negative is that they are in Hong Kong and any items from Hong Kong get hit with a nasty tax bill when they arrive. Expect to be hit with a 400 to 500 baht tax bill per game that you'll need to pay before the game can be delivered.